Charles Henry Williams & Assistant Cook Walter Herbert Williams – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Borga
Steward Charles Henry Williams & Assistant Cook Walter Herbert Williams – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Borga
Early Life and Family Background
Charles Henry Williams was born in 1870 in Herefordshire, the son of Robert Williams and Mary Ann Dyke.
1871 Census
The 1871 Census records the Williams family living at
Walkers Green, Marden, Herefordshire. Robert, aged 40 and born locally, worked
as an agricultural labourer, while Mary, aged 30 and from Essex, earned her
living as a dressmaker. Their children at the time were Herbert E. (9),
Augustine R. (6), Leopold E. (4), Ada M. (2), and infant Charles, then only
seven months old.
Charles Henry Williams and Alice Elizabeth Griffiths
marriage certificate
St. John-juxta Church, Swansea
In 1897, Charles married Alice
Elizabeth Griffiths at Swansea St. John-juxta church.
1901 Census
By the time of the 1901
Census, the young family were living at 2 Lower Odo Street, Swansea, where
Charles, aged 30, worked as a Ship’s Steward. Alice, aged 26, was caring
for their two sons: Charles E., aged 2, and Walter Herbert, aged
five months.
1911 Census
A decade later, the 1911 Census shows
the growing family now residing at 59 Gerald Street, Hafod, Swansea.
Charles, then 40, continued his work as a Ship’s Steward, while Alice, aged 36,
managed a busy household. Their children were Charles E. (12), Walter W. (9),
Helma A. (9), Cyril (5), Leslie Stewart (3), and Reginald (2). Both Charles
Henry and his son Walter Herbert later followed the sea, serving
together aboard the same vessel.
Service at Sea – S.S. Borga
Both Steward Charles Henry Williams and
his son Assistant Cook Walter Herbert Williams served aboard the S.S.
Borga, a British merchant steamship of 1,046 gross register tons.
Built in 1907 by Nylands Mekaniske Verksted of Oslo, Norway, the Borga
was owned by Mann, Macneal & Co. of Glasgow and employed in coastal
transport and short-sea trade, carrying essential cargoes during the First
World War.
On 1st March 1918, while
navigating the English Channel, the Borga was torpedoed without
warning by a German submarine approximately nine nautical miles
southeast by south of Beer Head, Devon. The attack occurred in waters that
should have been among the safest in British home seas, yet U-boat activity
remained intense even during the later years of the war.
The explosion fatally damaged the vessel,
causing her to sink rapidly. Five crew members were lost in the attack,
including Steward Charles Henry Williams and his son, Assistant Cook
Walter Herbert Williams, both of Swansea. Their deaths marked two of the
three Swansea casualties from the sinking.
German Submarine U-55
The attack on the Borga was carried out by U-55,
a Type U-51 ocean-going submarine of the Imperial German Navy,
commissioned in 1916. Under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm
Werner, U-55 became one of the most formidable U-boats of the war,
credited with sinking dozens of Allied vessels, both merchant and naval.
U-55 operated across the Atlantic and English
Channel, laying mines and attacking unescorted shipping as part of Germany’s
campaign to sever Britain’s maritime supply routes. Her attack on the S.S. Borga
was typical of the ruthless tactics employed during this period.
Following the Armistice, U-55 was surrendered
to the Royal Navy on 26th November 1918 and later broken
up in 1922 at Fareham, Hampshire. Her wartime record reflects the brutal
effectiveness of the German submarine campaign that claimed thousands of
British and Allied merchant seamen.
Commemoration
With no known grave but the sea, both Charles
Henry Williams and Walter Herbert Williams are commemorated on the Tower
Hill Memorial, London. The memorial honours the men and women of the
Mercantile Marine and Merchant Navy who died in both World Wars and whose
bodies were never recovered. Their names stand together, reflecting a father
and son lost in the same moment, serving side by side.S.S. Borga
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial
Legacy
The loss of Charles and Walter Williams is a
poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by merchant seamen and their families
during the First World War. Their service aboard the S.S. Borga, performing
vital work essential to Britain’s survival, exemplifies the courage and
dedication of the Mercantile Marine. Their story—of a father and son who sailed
and died together—remains one of the most affecting maritime tragedies linked
to Swansea’s wartime history.
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